Conventionally, personal video recorders (PVRs) enable a viewer to record television programming content and then to view the recorded television programming content at a later time. Further, PVRs may enable a viewer to record specified programming content on a regular basis and to delete the recorded programming content after a pre-specified amount of time. For example, a viewer may program a PVR to record a daily news show (such as the 5 o'clock news) on a daily basis and then to automatically delete the recorded news show after one day since the news content would be stale.
In order to view the recorded programming content, a viewer typically proceeds through multiple steps, which may include loading a user interface (UI) for display, selecting a “view pre-recorded programming content” option from a menu in the UI, and then selecting a pre-recorded programming content from a list of several pre-recorded programming content.
PVRs also enable a viewer to pause “live” programming content (and/or buffered programming content) and to skip commercials and/or other portions of live television programming content (or buffered programming content). For example, a viewer can skip commercials when viewing programming content on a television coupled to a PVR by pressing a “skip” button of the PVR remote control device.
Thus, advertisers are concerned that the ability of viewers to skip commercials when viewing programming content with PVRs will lead to losses in revenue. Additionally, a viewer, while watching live TV may channel surf and lose the buffered portion of the content shown in the original channel.
Accordingly, there is need for a new programming content substitution system and method that will overcome the deficiencies mentioned above.